Defense
by FlyingMachine1
Summary: Merlin defends Arthur and Arthur defends Merlin. A two-shot. Lots of bromance feels! Now with a third chapter!
1. Merlin Defends Arthur

**A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you like! I would like to send out a HUGE thanks to my sister, Laree England for her help with this story. I couldn't have done it without you!**

**Warning: Excessive fluff. Proceed with caution. **

**Disclaimer: Me no own Merlin.**

**Chapter 1: In which Merlin defends Arthur**

Merlin swore that never in his entire life had he seen so many nobles in one place. Lords, ladies, knights, and countless other people bearing regal titles had flooded into Camelot to celebrate the crowning of a new king and pay their respects to the recently deceased Uther. Currently, they were all stuffed into the main hall, enjoying a quite lavish banquet.

Merlin stood near the head table, just behind Arthur, and watched what could only be described as controlled chaos. Servants bustled about in a frenzy, constantly refilling a goblet, cleaning up a mess, replenishing a food platter, or sometimes doing all three at once. The nobles sat and chatted while they ate, a hundred different conversations going on at once.

After emptying the last of the wine into Arthur's waiting goblet, Merlin weaved his way through the copious chairs, nobles, and servants until he finally arrived at the back of the banquet hall and grabbed a full wine jug. Turning around and heaving a great sigh, the servant began making the laborious journey back to the other end of the room.

"Oh, don't even get me started on _Arthur_." The disdainful way the noble- Lord Carac, if Merlin recalled- caught the warlock's ear. He stopped, listening to the lord's rant, becoming more and more enraged by the second. "He's no more than a boy playing soldiers if you ask me. No where near fit to be king." the lord proclaimed pompously to the nobles sitting around him as he picked at the food from his overstuffed plate. "Honestly, he just doesn't have what it takes. One must rule a kingdom with a strong hand," he clenched his pudgy fingers into a fist and shook it for emphasis. "And Arthur? Well, he seems rather _weak_. With how naïve and hotheaded the boy is though, we may just get lucky and he'll go and get himself killed off before long!"

When Lord Carac laughed jovially at the thought, Merlin felt his anger rise to dangerous levels and he decided that he could not let this slide.

"_You're wrong_!" the servant shouted, throwing down the wine jug and silencing the room as the yell and loud clatter caught everyone's attention.

"What was that, boy?" Carac asked lowly as he turned his massive frame around to face Merlin.

"You're wrong!" Merlin repeated angrily. "King Arthur is more than fit to rule this kingdom. He is strong, brave, and truehearted, and he is more noble than you could ever claim to be!" A small voice in the back of Merlin's head was telling him that he really shouldn't be yelling at a noble in the middle of a banquet, but that voice was drowned out by the much louder voice that was screaming that absolutely _no one _insulted his king. "Arthur is the best man I've ever known! He would die for any citizen of Camelot in a heartbeat and has shown more loyalty towards this kingdom than anyone else I have ever met. King Arthur is my friend and your king and you _will _show him some respect."

As Merlin finished his rather loud rant, he remained where he was standing, staring Lord Carac dead in the eye and trembling with rage. The room was so quiet one could hear the rustling of the ladies' skirts as they shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Finally, after what felt like ages, Lord Carac broke the tense silence.

"See? The man can't even keep his servant's from speaking out of turn!"

Murmurs and whispers shot around the room before Arthur, finally getting over his shock, stood and raised a hand to catch everyone's attention.

"Merlin," the king began calmly. "go wait outside."

Merlin looked as if he was about to protest, but thought better of it and lowered his head in a single nod, turned around, and strode quietly out of the hall, closing the door with a soft thud behind him. Lord Carac was once again the first to speak.

"My fellow nobles," he began, looking around the room for support. "servants need to be kept in their place! They must be reminded that those places are in washrooms, serving food, and cleaning up afterwards. Not expressing their opinions like _that_!" the lord spat out his words as if the mere thought of servants having any sort of opinion was outrageous and repulsive as he gestured wildly around the room. "If a king cannot keep his insubordinates under control in his own castle, how could he expect the rest of his people to know that their place is lower than our own?"

Arthur took a deep, calming breath through his nose. He'd be damned if he smote a lord during his first feast as king. "_I _believe, Lord Carac, that a king's true worth can be determined by the way he treats those who serve him." Once again, whispers flew around the room. "Now," Arthur fixed Lord Carac with a heated glare. "if you will excuse me, I am going to go _talk_. To my _servant_. As an _equal_. As they should be treated. Does anyone have any problems with that?" Silence permeated the room. "Good." With that, Arthur nodded to the nobles with an authoritative glint in his eye, and strode out of the hall, leaving the nobles to stare after him in shock and something not too far from respect.

Arthur quietly opened the door and stepped out of the room, his gaze immediately falling on his manservant, who stood up from where he had been sitting, leaned up against the wall.

The two men just stared each other for a moment, neither knowing quite what to say. Then, in one sudden, swift motion, the king stepped forward and gathered the younger man in his arms, enveloping him in a tight embrace.

"A-Arthur?" Merlin stuttered, surprised by the sudden show of affection. The blonde only gripped the fabric of Merlin's jacket securely in his hands and shook his head.

"No man… in my whole life… has _ever _done anything _close_ to what you just did for me." hearing the tremor in the older man's voice, Merlin finally managed to raise his arms and return the hug, letting his head fall forward to rest on Arthur's shoulder. "Why would you say those things, Merlin? People have been executed for doing less."

Merlin lifted his head and looked at the other man with a small, proud smile playing on his lips. "Because they're true, Arthur. And because you're worth it."

Arthur's only response was to put a hand to the back of Merlin's head and hold that incredibly idiotic, loyal, brave, extraordinary stick of a person tighter against his chest, thank his lucky stars and anyone who may be listening for Merlin, and whisper almost too softly to hear, "You're the best man I've ever known too, Merlin."

**A/N: Well, that's the first chapter! I did warn you about the excessive fluff, yes? Sorry about any OOCness, but anything in the name of feels! Let me know what you think and stay tuned for chapter 2: In which Arthur defends Merlin! It should be up later today! Defense **


	2. Arthur Defends Merlin

**A/N: Here's chapter 2 as promised! So… if you guys thought the last chapter had a lot of fluff… in my opinion, this chapter puts the last one to shame in the fluff department. It really got out of hand. None the less, I hope you all enjoy! Also, apparently I really like banquet settings because this one also takes place during a banquet… with all these big meals, no wonder Merlin worries about Arthur's weight. ;)**

**Thank you all for the reviews/follows/favorites so far! You guys rock!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Merlin.**

"Come now, Arthur," coaxed Agravaine in his usual slick voice, accompanied by his iconic Cheshire Cat grin. "After all this time, who is the person you trust most here in Camelot?"

The question was posed in an almost rhetorical voice, Arthur's uncle obviously believing that the answer would undoubtedly be himself. He was, after all, the only kin the king had left who- as far as Arthur knew- wasn't trying to kill him.

Arthur pondered the question for a moment, the answer obviously not coming as quickly as Agravaine has expected. His eyes roved over all the people sitting around him at the banquet. Although his gaze did linger on a few people, Leon, Gaius, and a few other knights of the round table, they ultimately moved past all the nobles and knights and ended up in the back of the room where the servants were gathered.

Agravaine followed his king's gaze to see it had settled on one specific servant who was leaning up against a corner, seemingly dozing off.

"Your servant, sire?" Agravaine said with thinly veiled reproachfulness.

Unlike what most masters would do when they saw their manservant sleeping on the job, Arthur just got a small, amused, almost affectionate, smile on his face.

"I know most of the time he seems like a complete idiot, because, well, he kind of is. But he's been at my side for years now, and his loyalty has never wavered."

"Yes, but sire," Agravaine said. "I meant trust as in someone who you trust to... have your back, protect you with their lives, someone who you can tell your inner thoughts to," he looked to the servant in disdain "not someone who you can only trust to get a stain out of your shirt and bring you your meals."

"You'd be surprised, Uncle. Merlin is quite capable when he wants to be."

Said capable man's head snapped up after having dropped down to his chest. Arthur chuckled softly and shook his head and, finally catching his servant's eye, raised his cup and shook it slightly to indicate it needed to be refilled.

Merlin shook his head to clear the sleep from his brain and made his way quickly up to his master.

"You weren't dozing off again, were you Merlin?" Sighed the king in mostly feigned exasperation.

"Me nod off? Why would I ever do that when refilling your wine is so exciting?" Arthur only rolled his eyes and held out his goblet as a reply.

"Hold your cup still, Arthur." The younger man complained when the king was too distracted by what was going on around him to notice his traveling hand had caused Merlin to almost spill for the third time.

Arthur, for his part, either didn't hear or chose to ignore the other man and when his cup wobbled to the right a bit too far, the king suddenly found he had a lap full of wine.

"Merlin!" He exclaimed, slamming down his goblet and grabbing a cloth to try and wipe some of the drink away.

"Well, I did tell you to hold your hand still! Anyway, it's just a bit of wine, don't be a prat about it."

Arthur only glared at his servant before, to the king and his manservant's surprise, his Uncle cut in.

"Don't worry, I'll handle this, sire." To say that Agravaine was a bit miffed at the raven haired servant at the moment was quite the understatement. What right did this insolent _peasant _have to take Agravaine's rightful spot as most trusted by the king? What made him so special?

It was these questions running through his head that might have been the cause of his brief laps in judgment. He knew how the higher ups in Camelot were supposed to treat servants, but at the moment, Agravaine was too angry to care.

Arthur was a bit stunned by his Uncle's sudden offer to deal with his manservant. It was an unusual request, seeing as Arthur would have left the younger man's punishment at yelling his name and glaring at his from across the hall for the rest of the night. What else was there to "deal with"?

It was that stunned feeling that caused Arthur to momentarily freeze and allow his uncle to pass. He was still frozen when his uncle stopped in front of Merlin, glaring at the young man for a moment.

But when his uncle raised his hand and backhanded Merlin sharply across the face, _that _got the king to move.

Arthur stepped forward to stand protectively in front of Merlin, creating a human barrier between his steaming uncle and his manservant, who had a hand on his stinging cheek, staring with wide eyes at the two men in front of him.

"Agravaine!" Arthur spat out in a whispered yell. He was trying not to create more of a scene than they had already made. "I know you haven't been here long, but you should know by now that we do _not _treat servants in an abusive manner! And Merlin is _my _manservant and _my _friend. I will not allow him to be treated poorly." Arthur stepped aside and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder, pulling him forward. "Uncle, I believe it would be best if you apologized."

Agravaine stared incredulously at his king. Apologize? To a servant? This was absolutely ridiculous. He could hardly deny the king of Camelot, however...

Agravaine grit his teeth and pulled on a sickly sweet smile, looking down to the raven haired man and inclining his head ever so slightly.

"My humblest apologies, _Merlin_. I was out of line." The words sounded as if they had been dragged, kicking and screaming, out of his mouth, but Arthur knew this was the best he was going to get from his uncle, so he only cast Agravaine one last withering glare before turning his back on the older man and facing Merlin.

"Are you alright, Merlin?" The king asked softly. Even as Merlin nodded his head shakily and slowly lowered his hand, Arthur could tell it was a lie. There was a distinct red hand shaped mark on his right cheek and a nice bruise already starting to form.

By the uncomfortable look in his eye and the deep blush starting to creep its way onto his face, Arthur knew that the younger man was also very aware of the tense silence and all the eyes locked on the three men at the front table.

Arthur cleared his throat and turned to face the nobles and servants who were staring back at him. "I think it's time I retire for the night. Goodnight."

There was a chorus of mumbled 'goodnight sire's and 'My lord's as the king turned, with one last frown at his uncle, and left, knowing Merlin was following dutifully behind as always.

Neither Arthur nor Merlin said a word while they made their way to the privacy of the king's chambers. Upon arriving, Arthur grabbed his night clothes and stepped behind his changing screen while Merlin stood waiting for the king to hand him his now wine stained clothing.

"You might as well throw those away. There's no way that stain is coming out." Arthur said as he passed his manservant the clothes. His tone wasn't angry as much as long-suffering. This wasn't the first time Merlin had spilled wine on him and it definitely wouldn't be the last.

Merlin looked down at the soiled shirt and pants and momentarily contemplated using magic later to get the stain out, but decided it would make Arthur too suspicious.

"Sorry about this." Merlin apologized softly, indicating the clothes in his hands.

Arthur sighed and looked over at his servant. The bruise on his face was growing, already it had doubled in size and deepened to a purple in just the time since they had left the banquet.

"I don't care about the shirt, Merlin. You've done it enough for me to be used to your incompetence by now." Arthur's attempt at their usual banter fell flat as Merlin kept his eyes down and his fingers picked absent mindedly at the shirt in his hands. "Merlin," When the king still didn't get the younger man's attention, he sighed once more and walked over to Merlin, gently gripping his chin and lifting his head. When the servant tried to pull away, Arthur only grabbed the back of his head and pulled him back.

"Just let me see it, Merlin." Much to the blonde's surprise, the younger man did as he was told for once and stood still.

As Arthur examined the bruise on his friend's face, he could feel his anger rising like hot magma inside of him. His uncle hadn't held back and a small cut in the center of the bruise, which had somehow escaped the king's notice until now, was leaking a little stream of blood slowly down the warlock's cheek. Arthur thought it must have been caused by one of Agravaine's rings.

Arthur took his old shirt from Merlin's hands and used the sleeve to carefully dab at the blood. When the younger man winced at the contact, Arthur cringed and muttered a soft apology.

After all the blood was wiped away, Arthur stepped back and noted with disappointment that Merlin didn't look any better.

"I just don't understand it," Arthur said as he put the shirt on the table and turned back to face the younger man with his arms crossed over his chest. "Why would Agravaine do that right after I told him-" Arthur stopped, feeling slightly uncomfortable at what he was about to admit to his servant.

"Told him what?" asked Merlin when the king didn't continue. Looking at his manservant now, with his bruise- which seemed to have settled on its size, but couldn't make up its mind on what color to be, seeing as it had now turned a shade of deep red- and his blue eyes looking imploringly up at his master, Arthur felt he owed Merlin the truth in that moment.

"Just minutes before he…" the blonde waved a hand, indicating Merlin's face. "Agravaine asked me who it was I trusted most in Camelot, and I told him that person was… well, um… it's you."

Because Arthur was looking down while he made this confession, he missed the series of emotions that danced across Merlin's face. The first thing the young warlock felt was shock. He would have assumed that Arthur's most trusted confidant was Leon or even Gaius, not himself. He also felt a wave of warmth wash over him, knowing that Arthur really did have faith in him and didn't view him as a useless idiot all the time. The final feeling wasn't so nice. It was a little seed of guilt, knowing that while Arthur said he trusted him, Merlin still couldn't trust the king with his secret. He tried to consol himself by the thought that he really did trust Arthur with his life and genuinely considered the man to be his closest friend, there were just certain things the king wasn't ready to know.

"Maybe," he began hesitantly, going back to Arthur's original question. "maybe Agravaine was… jealous?"

"Jealous of you." Arthur deadpanned.

"Well," the servant defended. "he was probably expecting that, as your uncle, you would say you trusted _him_ the most, not some," Merlin gestured to himself. "servant."

"Yes, bet you're not 'just some servant', are you, Merlin?" When Merlin didn't respond, Arthur trudged on, struggling to leave his pride behind for the sake of reassuring his idiot of a manservant. "Well, I mean… you and I… we're friends now, aren't we?"

The question was phrased in a way that made it almost sound like an accusation and it made Merlin smile.

"I certainly like to think we are." Merlin answered as he began making a fire in the hearth, feeling some of the tension melt out of the room. "Even if you are a prat."

"And you're an idiot." Arthur fired back automatically, but with a smile. As he sat down at the table, Arthur realized the more he thought about it, the more he realized the term "friend" didn't really seem to properly describe Merlin.

A friend was someone who you could tell about your hardships, someone who you would rather didn't get hurt, someone who made you work hard to keep them by your side.

But Merlin… he _shared_ in Arthur's hardships, he was someone who Arthur would sacrifice _himself _for in a heartbeat in order for the younger man not to get hurt, someone who knew all of Arthur's short comings and faults and stuck by his side all the same.

"No… no, you're not a friend." Arthur concluded out loud. When Merlin flashed him a surprised, hurt look, Arthur was quick to amend. "You're more like an obnoxiously endearing little brother who I'm constantly having to bail out of trouble."

Merlin gave Arthur a brilliant grin as he stood up. "That would make you my extremely prattish older brother who is constantly ordering me around. Sounds about right." Merlin said as he came and sat down across from the king at his table, looking at Arthur for a moment before lowering his head and admitting quietly, "I've always looked up to you like an older brother."

"And I've always looked out for you like you were my little brother." replied Arthur, causing Merlin to look up in surprise. He had been expecting the blonde's customary insult about Merlin being a girl. "And as long as you continue getting yourself into trouble," Arthur smirked as Merlin bit his lip guiltily; they both knew the day Merlin stopped getting into trouble was the day hell froze over. "I will continue to look out for you."

Merlin smiled and once again shyly lowered his head "Thanks, Arthur."

"Don't mention it." Arthur paused a moment before saying firmly. "I mean it. If you value your life, you won't mention this conversation to anyone."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Merlin said with a chuckle as he stood up. "Is there anything else you need, sire?"

Arthur pushed himself up from the table with a hefty sigh. "No, I believe I'm going to turn in got the night. You're dismissed."

Merlin nodded and made for the door before Arthur's soft call stopped him.

"Merlin?"

"Yes?"

"I've always wanted a brother."

"…me too, Arthur. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Merlin."

**A/N: Well? Was it alright? I certainly hope so! And some good news! A reviewer, Lady of The Wind Dweller, has given me a wonderful prompt, so there will be another chapter after this! It will take a few days to get it up because it isn't written yet… but keep an eye out for it in the near future! It's another "Merlin defending Arthur" one, but with different circumstances from the last chapter… Anyway, thank you for reading and let me know what you think!**


	3. Bonus!

**A/N: Yay for bonus chapters! Okay, so this was a request from Lady of The Wind Dweller, who wanted a story where Merlin defends Arthur from Uther. I hope this is what you had in mind! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Surprisingly, I still don't own Merlin.**

"Arthur, this is unacceptable!" boomed an enraged Uther. "I specifically forbade you from going to that village and you directly went against my orders!"

"Father, had I not gone, that village would have been overrun by bandits!" Arthur argued back.

Three days earlier, an absolute scarecrow of a man, covered in dust and dirt with straw colored hair and wearing farming clothes that hung off of his rail thin frame, had stumbled into Camelot and requested an audience with the king. A malicious group of bandits had been terrorizing his small village for weeks now and the man had implored Uther to send some knights to help them. The only problem was the village lied dangerously close to Camelot's border with the Kingdom of Caerleon, whose peace with Camelot was currently on shaky grounds.

Much to the poor farmer's devastation, Uther had declared that is was too risky to send any aid, a decision that was instantly argued against on Arthur's part. The king's stubbornness had won out in the end, however, and Arthur was told he was not to offer any sort of help to those people.

Of course, Arthur, being Arthur, had gone against his father's orders and snuck out that very night with Merlin in tow.

And now, three days, one dispatched group of bandits, and one rejoicing village later, Arthur stood in the center of the throne room, still smudged with dirt and ruffled looking from the fight with the bandits, being heatedly berated by his father.

"Be that as it may, Arthur, you still went against my orders and nearly got yourself killed! I cannot allow this to go unpunished."

"Father, if you would just listen, I-"

"I don't want to hear it, Arthur! You took an unnecessary risk. When you are king, you cannot go around risking your life for every peasant who walks into the castle asking for help. You need to learn to control your recklessness." Arthur opened his mouth to argue, but Uther held up a hand to silence him. "You will spend the night in the cells to think about what you've done and how you can mature enough to overcome your foolhardiness."

Uther waved his hand and the guards who had been standing by the door stepped forward, taking Arthur's arms. Arthur struggled a bit, more out of habit than any real attempt to escape, but he knew his efforts were futile. He was fully aware going into this that there would be consequences, and he was willing to accept them for the sake of helping his people.

Just as the guards were about to escort Arthur out of the hall, a voice rang out from the corner of the room.

"Wait!"

The guards stopped and Arthur closed his eyes in frustration as Merlin stepped forward to stand before the king.

"Merlin, don't-"

"No, hold on, Arthur," the servant cut his master off. Merlin took a calming breath before looking up to meet Uther's cold glare.

"What is the meaning of this, boy?" Uther asked in an exasperated tone. He was well used to the… unconventional actions of Arthur's manservant by now.

"With all due respect, my lord," Merlin began, keeping his tone steady. "the village is still within the borders of Camelot, making the people who live there your responsibility. Arthur was merely fulfilling his duty as prince by protecting the villagers." Merlin glanced back at Arthur, whose eyes had gone wide with surprise, and a small, but undeniably proud, smile turned up the corners of the servant's lips as he faced the king once more. "I was there. I saw the way the people looked at him when he left that village. He was their savior and their loyalty to you has now increased ten fold. I believe, in this case, the judgment you passed was wrong. Arthur was not acting out of recklessness or foolhardiness, but out of a deep devotion to his people. One that will make him a great king someday." Merlin squared his shoulders and concluded firmly, "Arthur was right to go."

Silence permeated the room as Merlin finished his speech. Uther just stared at the young man who had dared to speak out against him. Deep within himself, Uther knew the servant was right. Arthur's actions _had _benefited them in the end.

Usually, a servant would be, at the very least, flogged for speaking to the king in such a way, but somehow, Uther knew with this particular, quirky manservant, the rules were different. There was an unexplainable, yet extraordinary bond between the raven haired man and his son. Uther couldn't understand it, he wasn't even sure if he fully condoned it, but the friendship was undoubtedly there, and it was strong. The king knew if he were to punish Merlin too severely, Arthur's reaction would be… _unpleasant_.

Still, Uther could not allow this insubordination to go _completely _unpunished.

"I could have you flogged for speaking to me in such a way, boy." Uther finally declared.

"Father, no, please!" Arthur began urgently, fighting against the guards' hold in earnest now.

"But," the king stated, holding up a hand to silence his struggling son. "because of his apparent loyalty and dedication to this kingdom, I will lighten the punishment." It's hard to say whose relief was greater, Arthur's or Merlin's. "He will also spend the night in the cells." With a wave of Uther's hand, the two men were taken away.

As both Merlin and Arthur were led out of the throne room and towards the cells, all the prince could do was silently gawk at his manservant. The man had just stood up for Arthur to the _king_. Merlin had always shown unwavering loyalty in the past, but sometimes the sheer strength of his dedication to Arthur caught the blonde off guard. It was an extraordinary thought: to have someone who was more than willing to risk life and limb for him. Arthur momentarily wondered if this was what it felt like to have a brother.

After being led through numerous halls and down multiple stairs, the small group reached the cells. Arthur and Merlin were both put into the same cell, seeing as neither of them was a real threat and this whole thing was a formality more than anything else.

Once the barred door creaked closed, both servant and master sat shoulder to shoulder, leaning against the back wall.

Neither of them said anything for a while, both staring straight ahead, waiting for the other to speak first. Finally, it was Merlin who broke the silence.

"I meant what I said, you know." Arthur looked over at the younger man, but Merlin just continued to stare straight ahead. "You were right to aid that village. It was what any great king would have done." Merlin finally met Arthur's gaze with a smile. "I'm proud of you."

Oddly enough, Arthur got a greater feeling of pride upon receiving praise from Merlin than he ever had from his father or the other knights. Merlin's praise was so full of conviction and assurance, with no false, sugary coating to just get on his good side, it almost made Arthur lightheaded.

"Thank you, Merlin." Arthur replied after a beat. "I'm… well, um… I'm proud of you, too."

Now it was Merlin's turn to stare at the older man in surprise. "You are? For what?"

"For what?" Arthur asked incredulously. "Merlin, you just defended me from the _king_. My father wasn't exaggerating when he said you could be flogged for doing that." the prince shuttered at the thought of Merlin receiving that sort of punishment, but continued on. "It was an incredibly idiotic thing to do." When Merlin flinched slightly at the harsh comment, Arthur's voice took on a quiet, soft tone. "But it was also extremely brave."

Merlin smiled and ducked his head, causing Arthur to also smile at his servant's customary humble and shy response to praise.

The two men then sat in a comfortable silence. After several minutes, a chilled autumn breeze blew in through the barred window. Merlin, who had lost his jacket in the fight in the village, shivered and pulled his knees up to his chest.

Arthur looked over at the younger man, taking in the thinness of his shirt and how he was clutching his knees in a vain attempt to stop his shaking, and almost without thinking, made a decision.

Huffing a sigh at his servant's lack to properly take care of himself (even if Merlin losing his jacket had been the fault of one of the bandits, not the servant himself), Arthur leaned forward and tugged off his own coat.

Merlin was absentmindedly staring ahead, trying to remember how long Gaius said hypothermia takes to set in, when something- a blessedly warm something- was draped across his shoulders. Reaching up, Merlin instantly recognized the fabric of Arthur's coat.

"I appreciate it, Arthur," Merlin began to pull off the coat. "but then you'll get cold."

"Just shut up and wear the coat, _Mer_lin. My shirt is much thicker than yours. I'll be fine."

Merlin stared skeptically at the prince for a moment more, but the coat really _was _warm and it smelled of fresh linens and grass, a comforting sent he had always associated with Arthur, so Merlin finally gave in, shoving his arms though the sleeves and pulling the coat tighter around him.

When Arthur saw the shivers cease and mumbled a satisfied "that's better", a soft smile graced Merlin's face.

Yes, Arthur would make a wonderful king someday, Merlin was sure of it. And he would continue to defend Arthur, from friend and foe alike, until the very end.

**A/N: Well, I hope that was satisfying! Thanks for all the favorites/follows/reviews! They really brighten up my day! And a thanks to Lady of The Wind Dweller for the prompt. I really enjoyed writing it!**

**Oh, and by the way, I have no idea if the Kingdom of Caerleon was mentioned in an episode, but if it was and Camelot and them are actually good allies… let's just pretend that for a little while there, they weren't. ;)**


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